Odyssey summaries pg. 895- 964
For each highlighted/numbered sentence find the corresponding lines from the Odyssey text in your textbook. Record the words along with the line and page number.
Book 1
The epic begins with the invocation of the Muses, requesting inspiration and the beginning of Odysseus’s story. It’s been 10 years since the conclusion of the Trojan War and everyone but Odysseus and his comrades has returned from their service in Troy. (1)Due to their devouring of Hyperion the Sun-god's oxen, his comrades are now dead and Odysseus is stuck on the island of Ogygia with Calypso, a besmirched nymph, Odysseus still yearns for his wife and home.
(1)
Book 9
Without much of a choice, Odysseus relents and begins to tell his story. After a storm that lasts for nine full days, they arrive in the Land of the Lotus Eaters.
(2)Upon landing, Odysseus’s men are offered fruit by the Lotus Eaters and immediately fall victim to the intoxicating effect of it. They refuse to leave and eventually are taken back to the ship by Odysseus by force. When they finally leave the Land of the Lotus Eaters, the men securely locked up, they arrive soon in the land of the Cyclops. It is here that they encounter a herd of wild goats. However, eventually they decide they will cross the straight and visit the main land to acquire more supplies.
(3)While on the main land, they discover a large supply of sheep, milk and cheese in a large cave. The men urge Odysseus to hurry but they spend a bit too long in the cave and Polyphemus, the cave’s resident returns and immediately eats two crew members and imprisons the rest for future meals.
Trapped behind the giant rock blocking the entrance, Odysseus is forced to think of a plan to escape. He waits for Polyphemus to leave the cave and finds a particularly good piece of wood to temper in the fire, hardening it.(4)When Polyphemus returns with his flock, Odysseus uses the wine they brought with them to get him drunk. While drunk, Polyphemus inquires of Odysseus’s name, to which Odysseus responds “Nobody.”Shortly afterwards, Polyphemus collapses under the effects of the wine and Odysseus and his men attack with the staff, blinding the Cyclops. When he calls for help, all he can say is “Nobody is killing me”, forcing the other Cyclops to abandon his strange cries for help. The following day, the men cling to the bottom of the sheep and leave the cave when Polyphemus leads them out. They steal the sheep and as they are departing, Odysseus calls his name back to the Cyclops. With Odysseus’s name in hand, Polyphemus calls for his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus at sea.
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Book 12
Following his return from the Land of the Dead, Odysseus returns to Circe’s island and buries his dead crew member. She offers advice for the remainder of his trip on how to handle the ensuing trials as well.
The first trial turns out to be the Sirens. (5)Odysseus has each of his men plug their ears with bee’s wax and then tie him down to the mast of the ship and hold him there no matter what. Despite their calls, Odysseus is able to withstand the Sirens with the help of his crew.
The next trial is the straight of Scylla and Charybdis. Here, they encounter the six-headed monster Scylla, who will eat one crew member for each of its six heads. On the other side is Charybda, the infamously dangerous whirlpool that takes any ship foolish enough to come within range. According to Circe’s advice,(6)they navigate towards Scylla’s lair and are forced to sacrifice six men to survive the straights.
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Book 21
Penelope arrives with the announcement that she will choose a suitor, so long as he is able to string Odysseus’s bow and shoot an arrow through the line of twelve axes. Telemachus quickly sets up the axes and attempts the feat himself, failing to even string the bow. The suitors themselves fail at the task of warming and stringing the bow, one by one.
Odysseus retreats outside with Eumaeus and the loyal herdsman and ensures they are still loyal to him before revealing his true identity.(7)He asks that they fight at his side and he promises to treat them as sons in repayment.
Upon returning they find that the suitors are still failing to even string the bow. Antinous tries to retire for the day so that they can make sacrifices to Apollo and try again the next day. However, Odysseus steps forward and requests to try the task himself. They fear his success and refuse him the opportunity. Telemachus silences them though and demands that Odysseus be given the bow and a chance. (8)He quickly and easily strings the bow and shoots the arrow through all twelve axes.
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Book 22
As quickly as he shoots the first shot, Odysseus puts an arrow through the throat of Antinous and (9)reveals himself as the long lost King, driving fear into the hearts of the remaining suitors. The doors are locked, keeping them from escaping and despite the pleas of the suitors to let them live, Odysseus declares that they will all die and the battle ensues.
(10)Telemachus retrieves swords and shields from the storeroom and arms Eumaeus and the herdsman, but forgets to lock the room as he exits. One of the suitors is able to enter the room and retrieve arms for the others, though on the second trip to the storeroom he is captured and locked inside.
Athena arrives as Mentor and encourages Odysseus, trying to measure how strong he truly is. A few of the suitors are felled with spears with only small wounds for Odysseus and his side. However, as soon as Athena joins in as Mentor, the battle is quickly finished. Odysseus kills everyone who was with the suitors with the exception of the minstrel and the herald who he deems as innocent victims.
Odysseus then calls Eurycleia out to help remove the dead suitors. At first she is excited at their deaths, but Odysseus quiets her for rejoicing over the dead. They gather the servants who were disloyal and have them clean and dispose of the bodies before they are themselves taken outside and killed. Telemachus decides they will be hanged, a much more disgraceful way to die. Finally, after everyone is dead, Odysseus orders a fumigation of the house to cleanse it.
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Book 23
Having slept through the entire battle, Penelope is finally awakened. She does not believe Eurycleia at first and does not accept the truth until she goes downstairs and sees Odysseus with her own eyes. The family reunites and Telemachus chastises her for not showing more open excitement. However, Odysseus is more worried about having just killed every young nobleman in the country, something their parents will not appreciate. He decides to take his family to their farm and hide for a bit until things settle.
Wary that she is being tricked, Penelope is not quite willing to believe that her husband has returned.(11)She requests that the bridal bed be moved, to which Odysseus explodes, explaining that such a thing cannot be done. It was carved from the solid trunk of a single olive tree, around which the house was built. She knows from these details that it must truly be her husband and finally she rejoices. They spend time getting caught up and Odysseus recounts his journeys thus far. The next day, he leaves to see Laertes and warns his wife to remain in her room and not take any visitors. Athena assists once again by hiding Odysseus and Telemachus in darkness.
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